On 23 September 2016, the two sides of underground route of the future cross-border rail link between Geneva and Annemasse were joined up by French and Swiss teams.
Evaluating quality of life and the desire for "living together" in Greater Geneva is the objective of the study that has just been published by the Geneva HES-SO (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland).
The 31st Congress of the European Cross-Border Grouping (GTE) brought together over 500 cross-border workers and numerous political representatives of the French-Swiss territory on 11 March 2016 in Archamps. According to Michel Charrat, president of the GTE, “2015 will no doubt go down in the history books of the cross-border phenomenon.
In October 2015, the Greater Geneva local grouping of cross-border cooperation (LGCC) launched an initiative to draw up a territorial project for the whole of the French-Vaud-Geneva conurbation for the 2016-2030 period. This process of reflection will be completed at the end of this year. It involves the elected representatives of the region, both Swiss and French, and cross-border civil society organised through the Greater Geneva Conurbation Forum.
At the end of 2015, the European Cross-Border Grouping (Groupement Transfrontalier Européen, GTE) was alerted by Switzerland's temping agencies regarding the difficulties they are encountering in hiring French unemployed people as temporary workers.
On 3 December 2015, Jacques Melly, the President of the Conseil d'Etat of the Canton of Valais, handed over the presidency of the Leman Council to Virginie Duby-Muller, Vice-President in charge of cooperation and cross-border affairs of the Haute-Savoie Conseil Départemental, who is also Vice-President of the MOT.
The local development council of the French Geneva area has presented a new edition of the educational material on Greater Geneva, which is entitled "Greater Geneva, our daily territory" and aimed at students in the penultimate year of lycée as part of the geography syllabus.
"More than 150,000 French citizens cross the border every day to go to work in Switzerland, attracted by higher salaries in all sectors. Many believe they will find an Eldorado there. Reality is not always as one imagines…"
On 21 September, the players from the Greater Geneva area presented an innovative new tool that makes it possible to monitor air pollution across the cross-border territory: the G²AME (Grand Genève Air Modèle Emissions – Greater Geneva Air Emissions Model) platform.
A web platform to promote car-pooling in the Greater Geneva region went live on 1 September.
"France and Switzerland declared their mutual friendship on 15th April 2015, without hiding the frictions between the two countries. François Hollande expressed his concern about national preference with regard to employment. […] During his State visit to Bern, the French president, François Hollande, stated before the seven federal councillors that he was making Greater Geneva a priority issue."
Etienne Blanc, MP for the Ain Department and first Vice-President of the French Geneva area Regional Cooperation Assembly (ARC), submitted an amendment to the "NOTRe" draft legislation (in France) to enable border metropolitan conurbations of member countries of the Council of Europe, such as the Swiss Confederation, to participate in a Euroregional Cooperation Grouping (EGC).
This study focuses on various effects of international borders on local public transport: How does it impact demand, service offer as well as framework conditions?
The Canton of Geneva and the Ain and Haute-Savoie Departments are going to cooperate in order to better identify "false Swiss residents", who are responsible for a shortfall of nearly €40 million on the French side. It's the first time that the Canton of Geneva is going to provide this type of information to the French authorities.
This year of 2014 has been a difficult one for "Greater Geneva".
The French-Swiss cross-border Employment Forum took place on 18 and 19 September 2014 in Annemasse.
The cross-border statistical observatory for the France-Geneva area has published an analysis of the housing stock and construction on both sides of the border, counting nearly 70,000 additional housing units in 11 years in this cross-border area.
The 30th Congress of the European Cross-Border Grouping (Groupement transfrontalier européen – GTE) was held in Annemasse on 30 April, bringing together nearly 1,000 French-Swiss cross-border workers. With 36,000 members, the GTE renewed its confidence in its Chairman Michel Charrat.
With its international borders with Switzerland and Italy, the department of Haute-Savoie, which has been a member of the MOT since 2012, cooperates with the cantons of Geneva, Vaud and Valais, as well as the Val d’Aoste autonomous region, in areas such as transport, territorial development, tourism, education, culture and sport.
The Geneva Games were started in 1940 to enable Swiss sportsmen and -women to take part in international level competitions in spite of the war.
By endorsing the UDC’s initiative “against mass immigration” on 8 February, the Swiss voted for the introduction of annual quotas for workers, whether from across the border or people that have been granted asylum, thus going against the recommendations of the Federal Council.
Michel Charrat, Chairman of the Groupement transfrontalier européen (GTE, European Cross-Border Grouping), an association that defends the rights of cross-border workers along the French-Swiss border, replies to our questions.
In a dynamic context of reform - redefinition of cross-border policy and decentralisation process in France, preparation of the 2014-2020 programmes at European level - the MOT has produced a methodological guidebook aimed at improving articulation between cohesion policy, governance structures and cross-border territorial approaches.
